Doing what I do best (looking at history), I continue to report news concerning past South Dakota presidential primaries (see my two previous posts here and here. Also see Dr. Blanchard's proposal, a reader's counter-proposal, and Dr. Schaff's disagreement). The results of the 1980 Democratic Presidential Primary in South Dakota was as follows:
100 percent of 1,324 precincts:
Kennedy 32,625 (48%)
Carter 31,065 (46%)
Here's an Associated Press story from June 4, 1980, entitled "Carter Clinches Majority, Kennedy Persists":
President Carter emerged today from the long presidential primary campaign with the Democratic delegate majority he needed for his renomination, but his moment of triumph was clouded by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's refusal to abandon his challenge.
Carter claimed a "wondrous victory" as the last eight Democratic primaries boosted him over the top in delegate commitments. He offered "the hand of friendship" to Kennedy in an effort to unite Democrats for the campaign against Republican Ronald Reagan.
But while Carter claimed victory in the overall race for delegates, Kennedy had his biggest night of the primary campaign.
The senator won five of the final eight Democratic primaries, including the largest state, California.
Kennedy also carried New Jersey, Rhode Island, New Mexico and South Dakota.
Carter won Ohio, Montana and West Virginia.
Making clear his determination to carry his campaign to the Democratic convention, Kennedy told supporters Tuesday night that "today, Democrats from coast to coast were unwilling to concede the nomination to Jimmy Carter and neither am I."
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